Suspects wanted in San Diego robbery spree

SAN DIEGO - San Diego police are searching for three people
wanted in the robbery of a Carmel Mountain Ranch restaurant and
seven other businesses in the city, authorities said.

The robbers have targeted eight fast-food restaurants and cell
phone businesses since the robbery spree began last July, including
the Carmel Mountain Ranch holdup in August, said Monica Munoz,
spokeswoman for the San Diego Police Department. The most recent
holdup was Feb. 1.

The suspects - described as two men and one woman, all Latino
and in their 20s - typically enter businesses shortly after they
open and force employees to the rear of the store or to the cash
register, demanding money, Munoz said. One of them usually carries
a semiautomatic handgun, she said.

One person usually watches the remaining employees while the
others take the cash, Munoz said. The robbers also force the
employees to the ground and use zip ties to bind their hands, she
said.

The first suspect is described as a 20- to 26-year-old man,
5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7 and 150 to 170 pounds. He has a normal build
and wears a baseball hat or a hooded sweat shirt with the hood up.
The second suspect is described as a 25- to 30-year-old man,
5-foot-8 to 6-feet and 200 pounds. He also wears a baseball hat or
hooded sweat shirt.The third suspect is a 24- to 26-year-old woman
with a normal build and shaved eyebrows that are penciled in.

Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call the
San Diego Police robbery unit at (619) 531-2200 or Crime Stoppers'
anonymous, toll-free tip line at (888) 580-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is
offering a reward of up to $1,000 leading to an arrest.